On June 13, 1983, the Pioneer 10 spacecraft became the first human-made object to leave the solar system. Launched on March 2, 1972, Pioneer 10 was designed to study Jupiter and the outer regions of the solar system.
After successfully completing its primary mission of exploring Jupiter in 1973, Pioneer 10 continued its journey toward the edge of the solar system. As it traveled farther away from Earth, the spacecraft's signal grew weaker, but it continued to send back valuable data about the solar wind, cosmic rays, and other interstellar phenomena.
On June 13, 1983, Pioneer 10 crossed the orbit of Neptune, which was then considered the outermost planet in the solar system (Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006). At this point, the spacecraft was approximately 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from Earth, making it the most distant human-made object in space.
Pioneer 10 continued to communicate with Earth until January 23, 2003, when its signal was last detected. By that time, the spacecraft was over 7.5 billion miles (12 billion kilometers) from Earth. Scientists believe that Pioneer 10 will continue to drift through interstellar space, carrying a golden plaque that contains information about Earth and humanity, serving as a cosmic message in a bottle for any potential extraterrestrial civilizations that might encounter it in the distant future.
The success of Pioneer 10 paved the way for future missions to explore the outer reaches of the solar system and beyond, including the Voyager missions and the New Horizons spacecraft that visited Pluto in 2015.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
